Garden diary

Sept

Plant out cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuces, onions and silverbeet.
Hoe around all growing crops - loose soil warms more quickly.
Set out seed potatoes for sprouting. Plant seed potatoes now if your area is frost-free; at the end of the month if slightly frost-prone.
Water indoor plants as the weather gets warmer.
Feed established fruit trees with citrus food.
Remove winter flowering annuals and replace with summer bloomers.

Oct

October's a great month for planting, and a good time to feed the entire garden.
Sow cucumbers, dwarf and runner beans, marrows, melons and pumpkins at the end of the month.
Plant summer vegetables such as beans, sweet corn, tomatoes and zucchinis once the soil is warm enough. Stake peas.
Plant basil, which grows well with tomato plants. It repels pests and promotes healthy growth.
Ensure the bursting buds of grape vines, kiwifruit and berry fruits are given a fungicide spray.
Sow or plant warm-climate fruits such as citrus, passionfruit, guavas and tamarillos.

Nov

It should be safe to plant frost-tender vegetables - chillies, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, kumara, peppers, dwarf and runner beans, marrows, melons, pumpkins and sweet corn.
Sow beds of brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, leeks and broccoli.
Start harvesting asparagus, beetroot, broad beans, cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuces, radishes, spring onions, spinach and turnips.
Continue to mound up potatoes.
Holes in your potato foliage could be signs of attack by the potato tuber moth. Water well to discourage them.
To encourage tomato flower set, spray with a mixture of 1 part sugar to 9 parts water. Remove side shoots, and tie plants securely to stakes.